Thought experiment: What’s the ugliest game book you’d still pick off a shelf if you came across it again for the first time? Indie snobs will of course claim it’s a whole long list, but the reality is that we really do judge a book by its cover. That’s why they have covers. Fair warning:… Continue reading Ugly Beautiful Books
Author: Paul Beakley
Masks: A Late, Deepish Dive
Let me say up front that I love everything Magpie Games has ever put out. I go out of my way to play their stuff, and I’ve run nearly everything they’ve ever put out. Starting with Epyllion way back in the day, through Urban Shadows, Bluebeard’s Bride, Cartel, Zombie World, Pasión de las Pasiones, all… Continue reading Masks: A Late, Deepish Dive
Drawing a Blank
Something interesting happened at our regular game night this week. It’s personal, not a sweeping theory or a review although there’s a bit of both in there as well. Summer is really hard to schedule and it’s worse if your group has kids. So I typically try to have a big campaign in the fall,… Continue reading Drawing a Blank
A Short Deep Dive into The Facility
Broke a 3-week-long RPG fast with The Facility last night. Felt good to touch dice again! The Facility is a zine-sized game by Galen Pejeau built on Breathless, a game framework I've been digging into since starting through a solo game called Substratum Protocol. It's a very basic push-your-luck kind of game, where each time… Continue reading A Short Deep Dive into The Facility
Deathmatch Island: The Deep Dive
If you could win unlimited wealth and freedom and all you had to do was murder some strangers, would you? What if you grew close to those strangers through days of adversity and teamwork? Would you fight against the injustice of this sadistic game, or stab your new friends in the back? What if their… Continue reading Deathmatch Island: The Deep Dive